BuycPanel Blog

1/15/2014 – What to Remember When Using cPanel

Posted by Jamison on 15 01 2014.

So you’ve finally decided to start using cPanel to manage your website. Have fun with your new hobby, but remember to take it seriously too. What are some things you should remember when using cPanel?

Come up with a strong password

You have to have a username and password to log in to the cPanel domain owner interface. Be sure you pick one that is easy for you to remember and hard for others to guess. Remember that this same password will give you access to the default database user, FTP account, email address and system user login so don’t take this lightly.

Stay away from the usual practices in choosing passwords like using “password” as your password, or the date of your birthday. On the other hand, you should combine letters and numbers to make your password, and make it eight characters or longer.

While you should be able to remember your password, don’t let your browser remember it in the cookies so others will not be able to access your account.

Be familiar with the server

Since you are venturing into domain management and hosting it is assumed you are already fairly competent in technical workings of your server. So take the time for familiarize yourself with its IP address, kernel version, applications version and hosting package limitations. Also find out how many CPUs are depending on the server.

Here’s a tip; a good server should be running at below 80 percent of disk usage and below ten percent of swap. It should also have the latest version of the kernel and applications under 64-bit architecture.

You can get all this information on the main page, usually on the sidebar of the cPanel interface.

Secure your account

Protection goes beyond a good password you can easily remember. Make sure you have programs in place that can protect your domain from spam. These days not all spam may be just spam, they may carry viruses just waiting for a click to begin attacking your system.

If your web hosting provider has Spam Assassin, enable it by going to “cPanel”, click “Mail”, then click on “Spam Assassin”. Spam Assassin is a common feature, but some web hosting providers do not usually enable this.

Also, activate your hotlink protection; go to “cPanel, choose “Security” then click on “Hotlink Protection”. This will prevent other site owners from hijacking your bandwidth.

Read up about how to use the different features

There are a lot of good explanations, walkthroughs and how-to’s available in the Internet about cPanel and its varied features. Take a look at them to get a good grasp of what you can do with your new hobby.

Not all tips, tricks and hacks can be included in manuals after all, and you can always leave it to the online community to make new innovations every once in a while.

Choosing cPanel as your website management tool is already a step in the right direction for both you and your website. Just don’t forget the simple safeguards, precautions and tips least discussed.